Two dams overflowed early on Saturday following recent rainfall, as overall water reserves across the government-controlled areas remain at very low levels.
The Pomos dam, with a capacity of 890,000 cubic metres, spilled over in the morning after reaching full capacity. The overflow followed additional rainfall overnight, which topped up the reservoir after it had already approached its maximum level on Friday.
Haris Kasioulis, District Engineer of the Water Development Department in Paphos, told the Cyprus News Agency the overflow had been expected. He said the dam had nearly filled by Friday and the extra rainfall led to full replenishment early on Saturday.
He noted that Pomos is one of the smallest dams in Cyprus. However, he said the overflow is significant after a dry year in which water reserves remained limited. He added that increased inflows recorded at other dams in recent days have improved the overall hydrological outlook.
Residents visited the site to watch the water flowing over the spillway.
The Deputy Mayor of Pomos in the Municipality of Polis Chrysochous, Andreas Dionysiou, said the dam plays an important role in supporting the primary sector in the wider area. Water from the reservoir is used to irrigate greenhouses, permanent tree crops and vegetable plantations.
He said the dam supplies the communities of Pomos, Pachyammos and Nea Dimmata. This allows farmers to cultivate and irrigate their fields throughout the year. He added that water sufficiency is essential for the sustainability of agricultural production.
In the Polis Chrysochous district, the Evretou dam, the third largest in Cyprus with a capacity of 24 million cubic metres, is also located. The Argaka and Agia Marina dams are in the same area, with varying levels of water storage.
The Klirou dam also overflowed at dawn on Saturday. Community leader Nikos Alexandrakis told the Cyprus News Agency that water inflow increased sharply in recent days.
He said the dam had been expected to overflow last week, but inflow was previously reduced. In the past few days, he said, the volume of incoming water multiplied fivefold, describing the recent flow as a very large quantity.
The Klirou dam was built in 2007 on the Serrache riverbed and has a capacity of nearly two million cubic metres. According to Mr Alexandrakis, it also overflowed in February 2024, January 2022 and in 2019.
Water from the Klirou dam supplies the communities of Klirou, Malounta, Arediou and Agios Ioannis, as well as the Taso Markou military camp and the Hellenic Force in Cyprus camp.
Despite the two overflows, total dam capacity across the government-controlled areas remains at particularly low levels, underlining the continued pressure on Cyprus’ water reserves after prolonged dry conditions.